Ye, born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, is an American rapper, singer, s… Read Full Bio ↴Ye, born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. He is one of the most prominent figures in hip hop, known for his diverse musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After dropping out of college to pursue a career in music, West began producing for regional artists in the Chicago area. As an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, he co-produced albums including Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001) before signing with the label as a recording artist. West's debut studio album, The College Dropout (2004), received critical acclaim and produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Slow Jamz." He topped the chart four other times with the singles "Gold Digger" (2005), "Stronger" (2007), "E.T." (2011, as a featured artist), and "Carnival" (2024).

West's second and third studio albums, Late Registration (2005) and Graduation (2007), both debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, with the latter becoming his most commercially successful to date. Three of his subsequent albums—808s & Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), and The Life of Pablo (2016)—were certified triple platinum, while Yeezus (2013) was certified double platinum. Although not as well-received critically as his previous works, Ye (2018), Jesus Is King (2019), and Donda (2021) continued West's streak of consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200. West has also released collaborative albums including Watch the Throne (2011) with Jay-Z, Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Kid Cudi, and Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 (2024) with Ty Dolla Sign. In fashion design, he has collaborated with Nike, Inc., Louis Vuitton, and Gap Inc. on clothing and footwear, and led the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas.

One of the world's best-selling music artists with 160 million records sold, West has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint 11th-most of all time and the most awarded for any hip hop artist along with Jay-Z. His other accolades include a Billboard Artist Achievement Award, a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist, and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. West holds the joint record with Bob Dylan for most albums (four) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. West's first six solo albums were included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020, with the same publication naming him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

West's outspoken views have received significant media coverage. He has been a frequent source of controversy due to his conduct on social media, at award shows, and in public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, race, and slavery. His Christian faith, high-profile marriage to Kim Kardashian, and mental health have also been topics of media attention. In 2020, West launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that advocated for a consistent life ethic. In October 2022, he was widely condemned and lost many sponsors and partnerships, including his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga, after making a series of antisemitic statements, including denying the Holocaust.

Wake Up Mr. West )
Kanye West Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I knew I was gonna see ya, I knew I was gonna see you again!
I was gonna see you again
Where your god damn book bag at?
Always carryin' that lil' book bag
Nobody want to see that
God damn fourth grader
Sit yo' ass down
Now he want to play it again like he got something else to do

You ain't got nothin' else to do
You ain't doing nothing wit yo life

Nothing with your life
What do you think this is?
You better look at me when I'm talkin' to you!
You think this is easy don't you?
You think this is promised
Oh ain't nothin promised with you
Look at my face, do I got a promise face?
Does it look like promise you anything?
Kanye!

Nigga! Is you snorin' in my class?
Wake up Mr. West! Mr. West

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Wake Up Mr. West by Kanye West are a depiction of the rapper’s frustration with a certain individual who, from the lines, appears to be either a student or someone relatively younger than Kanye. The tone of the song is characterized by a mix of aggression, sarcasm, and disappointment as Kanye rebukes the individual for what he perceives as nonchalance and a lack of direction in life. At the start of the song, Kanye expresses his expectation of running into the individual again and proceeds to criticize his constant carrying of a ‘lil’ book bag, which he considers unappealing to those around him. He then tells him to sit down as he has nothing else productive to do.

In the second part of the song, Kanye directly addresses the individual and questions his attitude towards life. The lines “Nothing with your life, What do you think this is?” reveal Kanye’s shock and disappointment at the individual’s apparent lack of ambition or direction. He then commands the individual to look at him while he’s talking to him, implying a sense of urgency and importance in the message he is trying to convey. He goes ahead to assert that there is no guarantee or assurance when it comes to success in life, and for this reason, there is a need for individuals to take advantage of the opportunities they have. In the end, Kanye directly addresses the individual, shouting, “Wake up Mr. West!” before the song comes to a close.

Line by Line Meaning

I knew I was gonna see ya, I knew I was gonna see you again!
I had a feeling that we would cross paths again

I was gonna see you again
Our meeting was inevitable

Where your god damn book bag at?
Why are you always carrying that bag?

Always carryin' that lil' book bag
You seem to always carry that small bag with you

Nobody want to see that
No one is interested in your bag

God damn fourth grader
You look childish with that bag

Sit yo' ass down
Please take a seat

Now he want to play it again like he got something else to do
You seem to be wasting time by playing again

You ain't got nothin' else to do
You don't seem to have anything meaningful to do

Nothing with your life
You are not doing anything meaningful with your life

What do you think this is?
What do you think is happening here?

You better look at me when I'm talkin' to you!
Pay attention when I'm talking to you

You think this is easy don't you?
You believe this is an easy task, don't you?

You think this is promised
You believe that things will work out as planned

Oh ain't nothin promised with you
Nothing is guaranteed with you

Look at my face, do I got a promise face?
Do I look like someone who can guarantee things?

Does it look like promise you anything?
Do I look like someone who is capable of making promises?

Kanye!
Hey Kanye!

Nigga! Is you snorin' in my class?
Are you sleeping in my class?

Wake up Mr. West! Mr. West
Please wake up Mr. West!

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GERRY GOFFIN, KANYE WEST, MICHAEL MASSER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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